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Homenb-develop-admin2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
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Native Chiefs At The Delhi Durbar, 1911 Postcard
Native Chiefs At The Delhi Durbar, 1911 Postcard
Gallery

Native Chiefs At The Delhi Durbar, 1911 Postcard

Native Chiefs At The Delhi Durbar, 1911 Postcard

Delhi Postcards, Old India Postcards

Native Chiefs At The Delhi Durbar, 1911 Postcard This is an old photo postcard of the Native Chiefs or the [...]

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nb-develop-admin2026-07-13T05:49:06+05:30
The Presidency General Hospital British Calcutta, 1900 Postcard
The Presidency General Hospital British Calcutta, 1900 Postcard
Gallery

The Presidency General Hospital British Calcutta, 1900 Postcard

The Presidency General Hospital British Calcutta, 1900 Postcard

Calcutta Postcard, Old India Postcards

The Presidency General Hospital British Calcutta, 1900 Postcard A 1900 postcard shows the Presidency General (PG) Hospital in British-era Calcutta [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-11T19:51:20+05:30
British Era Military Prison Trimulgherry, 1890 Postcard
British Era Military Prison Trimulgherry, 1890 Postcard
Gallery

British Era Military Prison Trimulgherry, 1890 Postcard

British Era Military Prison Trimulgherry, 1890 Postcard

Old India Postcards, Other India Postcards

British Era Military Prison Trimulgherry, 1890 Postcard This is an old 1890 postcard of a British-era Military prison at Trimulgherry. [...]

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nb-develop-admin2026-08-01T22:26:54+05:30
government house calcutta
Government House Throne Room Kolkata, 1890 Postcard
Gallery

Government House Throne Room Kolkata, 1890 Postcard

Government House Throne Room Kolkata, 1890 Postcard

Delhi Postcards, Old India Postcards

Government House Throne Room Kolkata, 1890 Postcard Old 1890 PC or postcard of the British Government House Throne Room in [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-12-22T01:00:58+05:30
tanjore palace
Interior Of Tanjore Palace, 1890 Postcard
Gallery

Interior Of Tanjore Palace, 1890 Postcard

Interior Of Tanjore Palace, 1890 Postcard

Madras Postcards, Old India Postcards

Interior Of Tanjore Palace, 1890 Postcard This is an old 1890 postcard of the interior of the Tanjore Palace. Tanjore [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-12-22T00:58:08+05:30
carpentary in malabar
Carpentry In British Era Malabar, 1910 Postcard
Gallery

Carpentry In British Era Malabar, 1910 Postcard

Carpentry In British Era Malabar, 1910 Postcard

Cochin & Kerala Postcards, Old India Postcards

Carpentry In British Era Malabar, 1910 Postcard This is an old 1910 photo postcard of carpentry work in the British-era [...]

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nb-develop-admin2026-07-13T04:50:34+05:30
Connaught Place New Delhi - Old Postcard 1950
Connaught Place New Delhi – 2 Postcards 1950
Gallery

Connaught Place New Delhi – 2 Postcards 1950

Connaught Place New Delhi – 2 Postcards 1950

Delhi Postcards, Old India Postcards

Connaught Place New Delhi - 2 Postcards 1950 There are two old 1950 photo postcards of New Delhi's Connaught Place. [...]

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nb-develop-admin2021-11-24T15:38:09+05:30
German Ship EMDEN Bombing Madras - Old Postcard 1956
German Ship Emden Bombing Madras – Old Postcard 1956
Gallery

German Ship Emden Bombing Madras – Old Postcard 1956

German Ship Emden Bombing Madras – Old Postcard 1956

Madras Postcards, Old India Postcards

German Ship Emden Bombing Madras - Old Postcard 1956 Old 1956 postcard of the German ship "Emden" bombarding Madras, now [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-12-22T15:20:31+05:30
mysore palace
Parade At Mysore Palace, 1900 Postcard
Gallery

Parade At Mysore Palace, 1900 Postcard

Parade At Mysore Palace, 1900 Postcard

Bangalore Postcards, Old India Postcards

Parade At Mysore Palace, 1900 Postcard An old 1900 postcard of the Parade at Mysore Palace. This is a military [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-10-18T11:53:53+05:30
Boats & Backwaters of Kerala, 2 Old Postcards 1920
Boats & Backwaters of Kerala – 3 Postcards 1920
Gallery

Boats & Backwaters of Kerala – 3 Postcards 1920

Boats & Backwaters of Kerala – 3 Postcards 1920

Cochin & Kerala Postcards, Old India Postcards

Boats & Backwaters of Kerala - 3 Postcards 1920 Three old photo postcards with a view of the boats and [...]

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Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” Oleograph 1894

past-india.com

This site illustrates a past India through a collection of antique and vintage mediums of Raja Ravi Varma oleographs, old India photos, old postcards, old paper prints, and so on.

Although the collection may or may not be too varied, but generally projects a glimpse to what India looked like in the past. And how it has evolved since then. Few would realize that once there were Trams in Bombay, Madras, Delhi…

That, Madras operated the first electric Tram in India from 1895 up to its closure in 1953. With Calcutta and Bombay starting off with Horse-Drawn Trams, later electrifying them by the early 1900s.

That, in World War II, they camouflaged the Taj Mahal with bamboo scaffoldings. So as to project it as a construction site that perhaps would fool any air attacks from the Germans and Japanese might, although this never happened. All in all, the jewel in this collection is the rare Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” oleograph or chromolithograph of 1894. This was the first oleograph to come out from the then newly opened Raja Ravi Varma Fine Arts Lithograph Press(or FAL press) in 1894.

The many legacies of the British Raj are not missed out in this collection. Many of the buildings and streets have gone through several makeovers to the extent of being unrecognizable today or have completely disappeared from the scene. But the memories are kept alive hopefully to some extent by this collection.

As they say- “seeing is believing.” Hope you enjoy this collection. Please write to us at- info@past-india.com

Popular & Rare

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Past India

You can see the main categories on the top of the page, and except for the “Raja Ravi Varma Oleograph & Other Art” category all the other main categories have drop-down to sub-categories. You can then select the subject of your interest or you can check through the search box and if available it will display the results. The photos, prints & picture postcards depict a varied subjects of a Past India we may have forgotten- from people on the streets to people at grand events like Delhi durbar, from Taj Mahal to Gateway of India, from residential areas to commercial areas, from home exterior to interior of homes and so on. This site also includes a photo of "Charlie Chaplin" with his autograph signed on the back. There are also old maps, books, Raja Ravi Varma’s oelographs etc. “A picture is worth a thousand words” is an old adage, I’m sure this blog should interest you likewise. All the items displayed are from my personal collection unless otherwise specified.

Contact us:

info@past-india.com
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